Third seed Fernando Verdasco closed on a second successive SkiStar Swedish Open final appearance Friday as he reached the semi-finals in Bastad with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.

Colombian Alejandro Gonzalez reached his first ATP World Tour quarter-final, establishing a 6-3, 2-0 lead before fifth-seeded Spaniard Feliciano Lopez retired from the match due to illness on Thursday.